Automatic car-brake



M. ARMSTRONG. AUTOMA TIC UAR BRAKE.

No. 313,154. Patented Mar. 3,1885.

2 Sheets-- Sheet 2.

(No Model.

M. ARMSTRONG.

AUTOMATIC OAR BRAKE.

Patented Mar. I 3, l 885..

Uivrrnn Frames PATENT @rrrcn.

MARTIN ARMSTRONG, OFMILAN, KANSAS.

AUTOMATIC CAR BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,156 dated Max:113,1885.

Application filed December 30, 1884.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARTIN ARMSTRONG, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Milan, in the county of Sumner and State of Kansas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticGar-Brakes, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a self-acting or automatic car-brake; andthenovelty consists in the construction, arrangement, and adaptation ofparts,as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, and specificallypointed out in the claims.

The essential object of the invention is to provide a car-brake whichmay at will, either singly or in series, be applied, and the momentum ofthe car be utilized to brake its speed.

An important feature of my invention is that it may be used as anauxiliary or safety brake to cars now in use, with very slight change ofparts, and in any event the novel features are additional to theordinary brake mechanism.

My improved brake may be instantly placed into operation without theexercise of any degree of strength, and when in operation it applies aforce many times greater than that which could be given by a brakeman.

My improved brakes may be connected in series, as in a train of cars,and may be operated by the engineer from his place on the engine, or maybe operated automatically, as in case of accidental uncoupling.

For convenience I will describe and illustrate the invention as appliedto ordinary freight-cars; but it will be obvious that the importantfeatures will be successful in other relations.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is an elevation,partlyin section, of an ordinary freightcar with my improvement attached, thenew features and the ordinary brake mechanism being in elevation. Fig. 2is aperspective of the cramp-weight and its connections, located uponthe top of the car. Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of one of thecar-axles,showing the operatingcam. Fig. 4. is a detail view of theoscillating pawl-lever, to which the dog which (No model.)

operates over the axle-cam is pivoted, the said view being taken atright angles to the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail sideview of the trip-lever and its connections with the operating-pawl. Fig.6 is an enlarged detail. view of one of the jointed pawls. Fig. 7 is anenlarged view of the principal novel features detached from a car,inoludin g the trip-lever and its connections with the jointed pawls,the said pawls,tl1e ratcheted brake-bar,the oscillating lever,and itsdog.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters of referenceindicate like parts in all the figures, A designates the body of afreight-car. B designates the brake-shaft; b, the chain; B, thebrake-bar, and b the brake-lever. These parts are of ordinary andapproved construction, except that the brakebar B is provided withratchetteeth upon its upper side, and moves in suitable guides, and thatthe flexible connections are provided with a cushioningspring,as shownat b". This rack-bar B is an important feature of my invention. beingthe point at which my auxiliary self-acting-bral e system combines andconnects with the ordinary hand-brake devices now in use. Hence byremoving the ordinary brake-bar and substituting the rack-bar B in itsplace, and providing such proper guides that the bar will be onlycapable of longitudinal movement, my

invention may readily and at small expense be applied tofreight-cars nowin use.

Upon one of the truck-axles,0,is secured an eccentric, c, and with thiseccentric is engaged a dog, D, which is pivoted between the bifurcatedarms 6 of an oscillating lever E, pivoted to a block, E, upon the bottomof the car. The dog D has a jaw, d, which embraces the cam c, and it isheld by its gravity in constant engagement therewith, giving to thelever E a complete forward and backward oscillatory movement from itspivot with each revolution of the axle. The upper portion of this leverEis bifurcated, both the upper duplex extremities being held by thesingle bolt 0, and in the recess formed between the two arms is pivoted,at e", a pawl, F, hinged at f, and having a spring, f, as shown, to holdthe hinged arm F normally in a plane with the body of the pawl. Thispawl F, being pivoted,upon a bolt having bearings upon either side, issusceptible of a forward and back movement only, its free end traveling,when in operation, upon the toothed face of the brakebar B, and when outof operation being suspended directly above the same.

From the pivot of the hinge between the parts F and F,which constitutethe operatingpawl, a yoke, f, extends upward, and is secured to the freeor inner end of a trip-lever, H, pivoted at h in a duplex frame, H,which is secured to the bottom of the car and extends downward, havingits lower ends connected by a cross-bar. Through this frame H thebrake-bar B operates, and it serves as a guide therefor, as well as astop to limit the longitudinal movement of said bar in one directionwhen a tooth, b, upon the lower side of the brake-bar comes into contactwith the cross-bar. The trip lever is so arranged that its pivotal pointis considerably away from r the center, leaving its heavier end awayfrom the pawl F, and the gravity of this heavier end is sufficient toraise the pawl F out of engagement with the brakebar B when the partsare in their normal position.

w The operation of the parts thus far described will be obvious. Thenormal condition of the operatingpawl is out'of engagement with thebrake-bar, as it is held by the gravity of the trip-lever, and the leverE is continually but idly oscillated when the car is in motion by reasonof the dog D with the eccentric c.

H designates another frame, similar to the frame H, before described,and between its vertical arms is pivoted a holding-pawl, G, havinghinged arm G and spring 9, similar to the operating-pawl F. The pawl Gextends beyond the throw of the pawl F, and it is also connected to theinner end of the trip-lever by a tie, g,which extends from said lever tothe hinge-pivot between the parts G and G. The normal position of thispawl also is out of engagement with the brake-bar, as it is held by thegravity of the trip-lever. If, then, this gravity is overcome, it isobvious that the pawls F and G would be thrown into engagement with theteeth of the brake-bar, and that at every revolution of the car-axle thepawl F will throw the brake-bar one tooth forward, the holding-pawl Gwill engage and hold the slack thus taken up, the pawl F will retreatand engage the next tooth and again thrust the brake-bar the distance ofone tooth,which will again be held by the pawl G, and so on until thelast tooth has been engaged by the pawl, and it idly reciprocates upon asmooth portion thereof. By this means the brake is placed verypowerfully into engagement with the truck-wheels, and will remain sountil the gravity of the trip-lever again asserts itself and knucklesthe pawlsF and G out of engagement. Of course it will be understood thatthe brake-bar, the brake-shoes, and their connections are so conditionedand proportioned that the maximum or necessary brake force is appliedwhen the last tooth of the brake-bar has been acted upon by theoperating-pawl.

To the weighted end of the trip-lever H is secured a tie-rod, I, which,extending vertically, has its upper end secured to an elbowlever, J,pivoted to'the upper edge of-the car,

and having its other arm loosely secured to a tie-rod, K, which connectssaid elbow-lever J to different points on a cramp-lever, L, pivoted at mto a frame, M. A quadruped frame, N, surrounds and is fixed above theframe M, and it has a recess in which the cramp-lever works loosely, anda bearing upon either side of the center, against which it rests. Theupper end of the cramp-lever is weighted, so that as it passes uponeither side of the pivotal point its gravity will impel it to itsbearing, and hold it in that position until the lever is thrown past itscenter uponthe other side.

The tie-rod K maybe attached to the cramplever L at Z, above the pivotm, or at Z, below said pivot, so that a single motion of the rope P willoperate the brake properly, whichever end of the car is forward.

WVhen in the position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2, the heavierend of the trip-lever H is elevated, and when in the position shown indotted lines the trip-lever. assumes its normal position and the pawls Fand G are held out of action, the gravity of the cramp-lever beingsufficient to overcome that of the triplever.

A spring or other proper means may be employed to prevent the accidentaldisplacement of the cramp-lever.

The upper end of the cramp-lever is slotted or otherwise conditioned to'receive a knotted rope, 1?, which may be either operated by the engineeror automatically by the separation of the train, to throw the brakemechanism on. This rope I? may be arranged to work in various waysforinstance, it may be reeved from the engine through or connected with allthe cramp-levers and back, so that the engi -neer may operate it ineither direction.

The cramp-levers may be connected with the ordinary brake-shaft B, andother modifications may be made without departing from to wind thebrake-chain upon a drum which has been connected with an operating-camupon the car-axle.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a cam rigid upon a car-axle, and with a ratchetedbrake-bar and connected brake mechanism, a continuallyacting operatingpawl and suitable connections a with said cam, and a holdingpawl adaptedto hold the slack taken up by the operating-pawl, as set forth.

2. In combination with ordinary brake mechanism, and with a cam, as c, aratcheted brake-bar, an operating-pawl connected with said cam, and apawl for holding the slack taken up, as set forth.

3. I he combination, with a brake-bar, as'described, and with a cam, asc, an operatingpawl, connections between said pawl and cam, and aholdingpawl, of a trip-lever having a weighted end and adapted to holdboth pawls out of engagement by gravity, as set forth.

4-. In a brake mechanism, substantially as described, the combination ofthe cam c and jawed dog D with the lever E, the pawl F, pivoted thereto,and the pawl G, guided loosely in said lever, as set forth.

5. In a brake mechanism, substantially as described, the knucklepawls Fand G, hinged as shown, the brake-bar having ratohets, the trip-lever,and connections between said lever and the pivots of the pawl-hinges andsprings, as and for the purposes specified.

6. In combination with the ratcheted brakebar B, the pawls F G, andtrip-lever H, means, as L, and connections whereby the said pawls may bethrown into operation with the brakebar, singly or in series, by hand orautomatically, as set forth.

7. The combination, with the brake mechanism described, the trip-leverH, and cramp-1ever L and connections, of the rope P, as and for thepurposes specified.

8. In a car'brake, substantially as described, the combination, with thetrip-lever, elbowlever J, and connections, of the cramp-lever L, havinga pivotal connecting-point upon either side of its fulcrum, and the tierod K, as set forth.

9. The combination, with the brake mechanism described, of thecramp-lever L, having connecting-points Z and Z, the tie-rod K, and ropeP, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN ARMSTRONG.

Witnesses:

J. E. CARR, D. H. MANDIGO.

